Dietetic Management Project

Return on Investment
Scarlett Ball

Introduction/Purpose/Need
Skipping breakfast can negatively affect children’s behavior and emotional, mental, and
academic problems. Therefore, Healthy People 2030 aims to increase the proportion of students
participating in the School Breakfast Program. Most recent data from 2020-2021 indicated that
21% of students participated in the School Breakfast Program, with a goal and desired direction
of increasing this percentage to 34.9%.
The breakfast participation at E.O. Smith High School is at 20%, which aligns with the
Healthy 2030 data. Since Maraiah started as Food Service Director at Mansfield Public Schools
in the 2022- 2023 School Year, she has made it her mission to revamp the School Breakfast
Program and to keep improving participation. Data shows that since Maraiah started in August of
the 2022-2023 school year, she has increased breakfast participation from 6% to 20%, which is a
drastic increase.
While working with Maraiah as the Food Service Director at Mansfield Public Schools,
she told me she met with the students who work with the superintendent. An individual
mentioned that students only sometimes have time to go to a cafeteria to eat breakfast before
class and thought that the possibility of a vending machine for breakfast would be a fantastic idea
to increase school breakfast participation. This individual was very passionate about this idea,
and he told Maraiah he would apply for a grant from the Edwin O. Smith Foundation. The Edwin
O. Smith Foundation provides $15,000 to 30,000 in annual grants. The hope is for the grant to
cover the cost of the vending machine, but even some money would be better than none. While
at Mansfield Public Schools, I conducted a Google survey to determine whether students would
be interested in implementing a Vending Machine that sells breakfast. I received 60 responses,
57% of students were interested. Therefore, the vending machine would allow students who do
not have time to eat breakfast in the morning or are not hungry first thing in the morning to go to
the vending machine between class periods when the cafeteria is no longer serving breakfast.
Research shows that individuals who eat breakfast perform better on standardized tests
than those who do not. They have significantly higher test scores in spelling and reading and
improved attendance, concentration, alertness, compression, memory, learning, and behavior
(Food and Research Action Center, 2018).

Resources Expanded
*Calculation can be found in the Excel File

The cost of the Evoke ST5000 Elevator Model at the flat rate is $13,975.00. Additional
optional costs that EOS would implement are school branding- $599.00, a Barcode reader with
student identification-$400.00, and a credit card reader- $799. In total, the Evoke ST5000
Elevator Model would cost $15,773.00. Shipping, delivery, and installation are all included in
the purchase cost. The primary factor in the purchasing of this vending machine is the cost.
However, the hope is a grant will fund this vending machine and, if not, from excess funds.
Many additional expenses must be considered when purchasing this vending machine for
breakfast. First would be the additional food and paper cost. EOS has a one-week menu:
Monday- assorted muffins, Tuesday- breakfast bar, Wednesday- fruit yogurt & granola,
Thursday- croissant, and Friday- seasonal breakfast bread. The alternate breakfast choices daily
are bagel & cream cheese, breakfast sandwiches, assorted cereal, and freshly baked cinnamon
rolls. Each breakfast has milk, fruit, juice, and the necessary paper materials.
Based on a 10% increase in breakfast meals, this would total 20 more meals each day or
3,640 additional meals a year. Additional food and supply costs would equal $7,862.40 per year.
A 20% meal increase would total 40 more meals daily or 7,280 additional meals yearly.
Additional food and supply costs would equal $15,724.80. A 30% meal increase would total 60
more meals or 10,920 additional meals yearly. Additional food and supply costs would equal
$23,587.20. A 40% meal increase would total 81 more meals or 14,742 additional meals yearly.
Additional food and supply costs would equal $31,842.72. A 50% meal increase would be 101
more meals or 18,382 meals. Additional food and supply costs would equal $39,705.12.
Only a little additional labor is needed for the vending machine except for packaging and
restocking the items. I estimated that if 40-100 meals were added daily, this would only tack on
15 minutes more labor since the only labor needed would be packaging breakfasts and restocking
them. It could be done quickly and efficiently between a manager and a cashier. This would be
an additional 47.5 hours a year for the manager and cashier and equal $2,010.68 in total labor
costs per year. However, additional labor costs might be needed if breakfast participation
increases by more than 50%.
The average cost per meal, considering food, supply, and labor costs, is $1.91. If the
vending machine were implemented, additional supply costs would be needed to package the
reimbursable breakfast. The best way to package the reimbursable breakfast would be a clear 8”
medium-hinged container. With the addition of this supply cost, the total meal cost would be
$2.16, which is an additional $0.25.

Outcomes
*Calculations can be found in the Excel file
 To determine whether a breakfast vending machine would be a good investment, I
contacted Venducation, which sells vending machines. Education gave me actual data from a
school that implemented the Evoke ST5000 Elevator Model with reimbursable breakfast. The
data I received was from West Park High School in California. The number of reimbursable
breakfasts sold from 9/1/23- 1/15/24 (keep in mind breakfast is free this year) was 5,393. On
average, 1,078 and 60 additional breakfasts were sold in five months. Unfortunately, I could not
get actual breakfast numbers before and after the vending machine was implemented, but the
Food Service Director said breakfast meals have roughly increased by 25%. Therefore, to
determine the % increase in sales/ meals the vending machine would bring in, I looked at the
current % of meals served daily.
As the tables show, on average, 203 meals were served at EOS without the vending
machine. Based on a 10% increase in breakfast meals, this would total 20 more meals each day
with the addition of the vending machine. This would increase revenue by $54.60 per day. With
182 serving days per year, this would increase revenue by $9,937.20. Since additional expenses
from the vending machine would cost $8,829.40, the net profit for years one through five would
be $1,642.80. The ROI is a positive percentage at 19.8% each year. The breakeven point is 0.83
school years or ten months.
A 20% meal increase would total 40 more daily meals, increasing revenue by $109.20
daily. With 182 serving days per year, this would increase revenue by $19,874.40. Since
additional expenses from the vending machine would cost $18,167.48, the net profit for year one
would be $1,706.93. The ROI is a positive percentage at 9.4% each year. The breakeven point is
0.91 school years or 11 months.
A 30% increase in meals would total 60 more meals. This would increase revenue by
$163.80 per day. With 182 serving days per year, this would increase revenue by $29,811.60.
Since additional expenses from the vending machine would cost $26,029.88, the net profit for
years one through five would be $3,781.73 years one through five. The ROI is a positive
percentage at 14.5%. The breakeven point is 0.87 school years or 10.4 months.
A 40% increase in meals would total 81 more meals. This would increase revenue by
$221.13 a day. With 182 serving days per year, this would increase revenue by $40,245.66.
Since additional expenses from the vending machine would cost $32,285.40, the net profit for
years one through five would be $5,960.27. The ROI is a positive percentage at 17.4%. The
breakeven point is 0.85 per year or 10.2 months.
A 50% increase in measles would mean 101 more meals, increasing revenue by $275.73
daily. With 182 serving days per year, this would increase revenue by $50,182.86. Since
additional expenses from the vending machine would cost $42,147.80, the net profit for years
one through five would be $8,035.07. The ROI is a positive percentage at 19.1%. The breakeven
point is 0.84 school years or 10.2 months.
Please note that added labor cost was not applied to a 10% increase since this is only 20
more additional lunches. Also, labor costs were based on 2023-2024 school year rates, and I
wonder if they will change next year. Lastly, yearly revenue, cost, and ROI information were
provided for five years. I predict that breakfast sales will continue to increase per year. However,
the information provided is based on stable sales with the predicted meals each year based on a
10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% increase.
Realistically, I predict that the vending machine will quickly have a 30% increase in
meals, 60 meals per day, since West Park High School data showed 60 more meals per day, with
the food service director estimating a 25% increase. Also, on average, 1,013 students are enrolled
at West Park High School, and EOS has 1,008 students, which is practically the same number of
students. Therefore, a 30% increase in meals per day would result in 10,920 more meals per year
and a net profit of $3,781.73.

Summary and Conclusion

In conclusion, the Evoke ST5000 Elevator Model is an excellent investment. Reaching
the payback period and a positive ROI for all predicted sales increases takes less than one school
year. A 30% in meals, 60 meals per day, is an appropriate prediction as breakfast participation
has been increasing dramatically in the past year and, therefore, we would only expect it to go
up. Each year, with the addition of a 30% increase in current breakfast sales, we will gain an
additional $3,781.73 from breakfast sales if sales remain. However, I expect breakfast sales to
increase even more as more students get familiar with the vending machine. Another benefit of
the breakfast vending machine is that the school supplies the breakfast meals rather than another
company. This benefits both the school and the students since the money made from breakfast
goes directly to the school, and students also receive healthy and nutritious meals that follow the
school breakfast program. In conclusion, breakfast is a necessary meal for high school students
in the morning as it has been shown to have several benefits for diet quality, health, and
cognitive and academic performance (Adolphus et al., 2016).

Appendix A
Evoke ST5000 Elevator Model (Refrigerated)
Specifications
 ● Custom Configuration to accommodate meal packaging.
● Max Soft Delivery Elevator
● Cash Operation, Credit Card Operation, or POS integration
● Ivend: guaranteed delivery of hardware and software. This means students do not lose.
Their meal if a product is not delivered.
● VendNovation Web-based Remote Management Vending Software
○ School vending website that could provide significant value in managing your
vending program.
○ Provide automatic email alerts to notify your staff of low-par inventory levels and
out-of-stock conditions and even give them the capacity to print out an exact pick
list needed for restocking.
○ This system can also send error notifications, such as a temperature rise above 42
or a notification of a selection that would not dispense.
● It is made in the USA & ADA compliance.
● First in First Out Loading (reduced spoilage up to 30%)
● Up to 60 Items
● All industry standard MDB Compatible Devices (POS, Credit Card)
● Shipping, delivery, and installation to your school to the point of use
● Set Up & Training: Kiosks are set up by our local technician, who will also train the
● appropriate staff and be available for technical support.
● Free Telephone Support from factory technicians and our support staff, who can
● talk your staff through issues or send local assistance. They are available from
● 8 AM-5 PM CST.
● Training Videos: Free unlimited access to online training videos.
● Two-year parts warranty and 90-day on-site technical
● Dimensions: 72” H, 41” W, 38” D
● 831 lbs.
● 7” Touch screen
● Health Glass (eliminate condensation and fogging

References
Breakfast for learning. Food Research & Action Center. (2018).
https://frac.org/research/resource-library/breakfast-for-learning

Adolphus, K., Lawton, C. L., Champ, C. L., & Dye, L. (2016). The Effects of Breakfast and
Breakfast Composition on Cognition in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.
Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 7(3), 590S–612S.
https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.010256

https:/www.vendingmachinesschools.com/